ALSO HOLDING AG EQS-Adhoc: ALSO has received approval to take over the largest Eastern European IT distributor

Directive transparence : information réglementée

EQS Group-Ad-hoc: ALSO Holding AG / Key word(s): Takeover
ALSO has received approval to take over the largest Eastern European IT distributor

12-Jun-2019 / 17:35 CET/CEST
Release of an ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 KR
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Emmen, Switzerland, 12. June 2019

Media release

ALSO has received approval to take over the largest Eastern European IT distributor

ALSO Holding AG and MCI Euroventures, majority shareholder of ABC Data S.A., have received the unconditional consent of the European Commission for the acquisition of the Eastern European distributor by ALSO Holding AG. The Warsaw-based company is active in six Eastern European countries and generated sales of PLN 4,468 million (EUR 1,048 million) in 2018. ALSO is thus pushing ahead with its Eastern European expansion strategy.

This approval creates the essential conditions for ALSO's complete takeover of ABC Data S.A.'s business operations. ALSO will thus become the market leader in Eastern Europe with an addressable market volume of around EUR 30 billion per year. The ALSO Group is thus strengthening its existing business in Lithuania and will now be present in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary. With the activities to be acquired, ALSO Holding AG aims to expand its high-margin solutions business. With the ABC Data platform, the company will then also be in a position to offer its customers consumption-dependent IT-as-a-service services via the ALSO Cloud Marketplace (ACMP).

ALSO Holding AG (ALSN.SW) (Emmen/Switzerland) brings providers and buyers of the ICT industry together. ALSO offer more than 550 vendors of hardware, software and IT-services access to over 100 000 buyers, who can call a broad spectrum of other customized services in the logistics, finance, and IT services sectors, as well as traditional distribution services. From the development of complex IT landscapes, the provision and maintenance of hardware and software, right through to the return, reconditioning and remarketing of IT hardware, ALSO offers all services as a one-stop shop. ALSO is represented in 18 European countries and generates total net sales of approximately 9.2 billion euros with around 4 000 employees in the fiscal year 2018. The majority shareholder of ALSO Holding AG is the Droege Group, Düsseldorf, Germany. Further information is available at https://also.com

Droege Group
Droege Group (founded in 1988) is an independent advisory and investment company under full family ownership. The company acts as a specialist for tailor-made transformation programs aiming to enhance corporate value. Droege Group combines its corporate family-run structure and capital strength into a family-equity business model. The group carries out direct investments with its own equity in corporate spin-offs and medium-sized companies in "special situations". With the guiding principle "execution - following the rules of art", the group is a pioneer in execution-oriented corporate development. Droege Group follows a focused investment strategy based on current megatrends (knowledge, connectivity, prevention, demography, specialization, future work, shopping 4.0). Enthusiasm for quality, innovation and speed determines the company's actions. In recent years Droege Group has successfully positioned itself in domestic and international markets and operates in 30 countries. More information: https://www.droege-group.com

Disclaimer
This press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on current assumptions and forecasts of the ALSO management. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors could lead to material differences between the forward-looking statements made here and the actual development, in particular the results, financial situation, and performance of our Group. The Group accepts no responsibility for updating these forward-looking statements or adapting them to future events or developments.